EXCLUSIVE: Everything You Need to Know About George Wendt's Very Private Family Life and Hollywood Friendships After His Death Aged 76
George Wendt's life was mainly kept out of the public eye.
May 28 2025, Published 8:30 p.m. ET
George Wendt's death rocked the industry as the star's life off the set has now been pushed into the spotlight following his passing.
RadarOnline.com can reveal all you need to know about the very private life of the Cheers actor.
Wendt Was Married to Bernadette Birkett for Almost 5 Decades
Wendt and Bernadette Birkett were married from 1978 until his death on May 20.
Wendt was married to his wife, Bernadette Birkett, for nearly five decades.
The duo met at Chicago's The Second City theater, where Wendt began training in comedy, in 1974. They dated for several years before getting married on July 8, 1978.
Wendt, Birkett, and other family members notably performed a comedic skit on Late Night with Conan O'Brien in December 1998. They also worked on Cheers, where Birkett voiced Vera, the unseen wife of Wendt's character, Norm Peterson.
The Couple Had 3 Children
Wendt died at the age of 76.
During their 46-year marriage, Wendt and Birkett welcomed three children together: Hilary, Joe, and Daniel.
The Heartbreakers star is also the mother of two sons, Joshua and Andrew, from a previous relationship.
What to Know About Wendt and Jason Sudeikis' Relationship
Wendt said he was 'proud' of Jason Sudeikis.
Wendt was Jason Sudeikis' immediate relative, as the Ted Lasso star is the only son of the Emmy-nominated actor's sister Kathryn.
"He's such a great kid," Wendt said of his nephew and godson. "Very proud. Proud especially, you know, not only of the success, but he's solid. Have you read profiles and stuff? I mean, he is such a mensch, so smart, so thoughtful. I mean, it all comes out in the show. Right?"
Meanwhile, Sudeikis revealed during a July 2011 interview with Playboy that Wendy had "always been encouraging, but there was no Tuesdays with Morrie kind of relationship between him and I."
The funnyman added: "He was just a good example that being an actor was a viable option. Here's a guy from the Midwest, in my family, who took the road less traveled, and it worked out for him.
The advice he gave me, and I say this jokingly, is 'Get on one of the best sitcoms of all time and then ride it out.'"
Sudeikis Revealed His Fondest Memory With His Uncle Wendt
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Sudeikis also talked about Wendt in his interviews.
In a September 2017 interview with The A.V. Club on the red carpet of the Second City's Roast of George Wendt, Sudeikis shared the unforgettable, but terrifying, drive he experienced with Wendt.
"We all went out to California to visit and George had just gotten a new car ... It was a bad--- BMW with, like, manual drive, which I'd never seen before, you know, I was pretty young," he said.
The Horrible Bosses actor shared Wendt took him and his father for a ride, letting the No Small Affair actor drive them through Laurel Canyon. Although Wendt had driven "hundreds and thousands of times," the outing reportedly left the father-and-son tandem scared.
"He had my dad holding onto (the car) like nothing you've ever seen," the former Saturday Night Live star shared while laughing. "And I'm just like sliding around the background just because the seats were brand new. I hold that memory very fondly."
